Bat Survey Report for Kilnhill Farm (outbuildings), Edale Road, Hope, Derbyshire

19th June 2018

# CONTENTS

| Section | Page No. | |------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------| | SUMMARY | 3 | | 1. INTRODUCTION | 4 | | 1.1 Bat legislation | 4 | | 1.2 Bird legislation | 4 | | 2. METHODOLOGY | 6 | | 2.1 Desk Study | 5 | | 2.2 Building Survey | 6 | | 3. RESULTS | 9 | | 3.1 Location | 9 | | 3.2 Desk study | 9 | | 3.3 Site Description | 9 | | 3.4 Building Survey | 9 | | 4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS | 13 | | 5. REFERENCES | 14 | | APPENDICES | 15 | | Appendix 1: Location plan | 16 | | Appendix 2: Site layout | 17 | SUMMARY

At the outbuildings at Kilnhill Farm, Hope, in Derbyshire, planning permission is being sought for the conversion of the buildings.

As this could impact on features typically used by bats as roosting and/or hibernating places, a diurnal inspection was undertaken on 15th June 2018, to assess the buildings for signs of bat occupation.

A desk study revealed a number of bat records within 2.0 km of the site; no records came from the land itself and the closest record came from within 200 metres south of the site.

The bat species present within the records included Common Pipistrelle *Pipistrellus pipistrellus*.

This suggested that if any suitable features were present on/within the buildings, they could be utilised by roosting and/or hibernating bats within the area.

All the internal and external structures, especially those associated with the roofs and walls of the buildings were examined.

The inspection revealed no signs of recent or historical bat activity or occupation.

The suitability of the barns and outbuildings for roosting pipistrelles *Pipistrellus sp* and/or other bat species was considered to be negligible, as there was an absence of suitable roosting features. The crevices and cavities observed were cobwebbed internally or too shallow to provide cover and were evidently not used by bats.

At the time of the survey the outbuildings were not identified as a bat roost or hibernation site, and as such no further surveys or mitigation with regard to bats are required.

It is recommended two external bat boxes (eg. Schwegler 1FF) are incorporated into or hung onto the converted buildings to provide biodiversity enhancement/bat roosting opportunities.

- During the building inspection, no old or active bird nests were found.

1. INTRODUCTION

In June 2018, ML-Ecology was instructed by Whitfield Architects, to undertake a bat and bird survey of the outbuildings at Kilnhill Farm in Hope, Derbyshire. On 15th June 2018, a visit was made to the property to carry out a diurnal inspection of the building to check for signs of bat occupation.

The result of the survey is contained in this report.

1.1 Bat Legislation

In England, Scotland and Wales, all bat species are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) (as amended), through inclusion in Schedule 5. In England and Wales this Act has been amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW), which adds an extra offence, makes species offences arrestable, increases the time limits for some prosecutions, and increases penalties.

All bats are also included in Schedule 2 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, & c.) Regulations 1994, (or Northern Ireland 1995) (the Habitats Regulations), which defines ‘European protected species of animals’.

The above legislation can be summarised thus (Mitchell-Jones and McLeish, 2004):

- Intentionally or deliberately kill, injure or capture (or take) bats
- Deliberately disturb bats (whether in a roost or not)
- Recklessly disturb roosting bats or obstruct access to their roosts
- Damage or destroy roosts
- Possess or transport a bat or any part of a part of a bat, unless acquired legally
- Sell (or offer for sale) or exchange bats, or parts of bats

The word ‘roost’ is not used in the legislation, but is used here for simplicity. The actual wording is ‘any structure or place which any wild animal...uses for shelter or protection’ (WCA), or ‘breeding site or resting place’ (Habitats Regulations).

As bats generally have both a winter and a summer roost, the legislation is clear that all roosts are protected whether bats are in residence at the time or not.

1.2 Bird Legislation

In Britain, all wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. There are penalties for:

- Killing, injuring or capturing them, or attempting any of these;
- Taking or damaging the nest whilst in use; Taking or destroying the eggs.

Barn Owls are on Schedule 1 of the Act. Schedule 1 species carry special penalties and it is an offence to even disturb these near the nest. 2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 Desk study

A desk study was undertaken to determine bat species that had been recorded within a 2.0 km radius of the site. This involved a search of NBN Atlas and then assimilating and reviewing the data provided.

The consultees for the desk study were:

- National Biodiversity Network Atlas website;

2.2 Building Survey

In order to fully assess bat occupation of a particular site, the Bat Conservation Trust (2016) recommends that information gathered from a desk study of known bat records, and a daytime site walkover, is used to inform the type and extent of future bat survey work, potentially including nocturnal surveys.

The diurnal walkover provides an opportunity to check for signs of occupancy, such as droppings, scratch marks, feeding remains, carcasses, or even animals in residence, whilst nocturnal surveys (if required) allow numbers and species of bats to be confirmed. The latter are also used to determine the presence or absence of bats, where signs of bat activity are indeterminate or absent but likelihood of roosting is considered to be medium to high.

Roosting places vary depending on the species. Pipistrelles usually inhabit narrow cracks or cavities around the outside of buildings, but they will roost in similar niches inside larger barns. Typical sites include soffit spaces, gaps behind fascia boards and end rafters, crevices around the ends of projecting purlins, under warped or lifted roof and ridge tiles, or in gaps in stone and brickwork where mortar has dropped out.

Larger species such as Brown Long-eared Bats *Plecotus auritus*, Myotis bats (Natterer’s *Myotis nattereri* and Whiskered/Brandt’s *M. mystacinus/M. brandtii*), and Lesser Horseshoes *Rhinolophus hipposideros*, like to roost in the roof voids of buildings, and can often be found hanging singly or in small groups from ridge boards or roof timbers, especially where these butt up against gable walls or chimney breasts. They especially favour older structures with timber frames. Here they squeeze into tight crevices making them difficult to observe.

Diurnal walkovers can be carried out at any time of the year, but nocturnal surveys should only be undertaken when bats are out of hibernation and in their summer roosts. The recommended period is from May to September inclusive, with May to August optimum and September sub-optimum. The season can be extended into October, although particularly cold weather will render this inadvisable. Indeed, the air temperature at the start of each survey must be at least 10°C or above.

Visits will be a minimum of two weeks apart, and the number of surveys is dependent on the evidence found or the suitability of the site to bats.

Where bats are found, or there is evidence of bat occupation or activity, i.e. that bat use is confirmed, the number and timing of visits will be decided by the ecologist, and will be appropriate for the type of roost. In general at least two nocturnal surveys will be carried out, both of which can be emergence surveys, or one emergence and one dawn re-entry.

Where there is no evidence of bat presence, and no suitability for roosting, no nocturnal surveys will be needed.

For a site with no evidence but low suitability, just one nocturnal emergence survey is required, this to be in the optimum period.

For medium suitability a minimum of two visits are needed, of which one must be in the optimum period, and one must be a dawn re-entry survey. With high suitability, three visits will be necessary, of which two must be in the optimum period. At least one of these must be a dawn re-entry survey, with the third visit either an emergence or a dawn re-entry.

For sites < 5 ha in size, and/or regularly shaped structures, at least two surveyors must be present, with more surveyors at larger sites and more complex buildings, e.g. those with multiple elevations and/or roof structures.

On the 15th June 2018, a thorough inspection of the outbuildings was made by Matt Liston (working under Natural England bat licence No. 2015-16489-CLS-CLS), including the exterior and interior walls, roof coverings, roof space, eaves, gables, roof and ceiling timbers, fascias, window casements and door frames.

10x42 Nikon binoculars and a Clulight CB2 torch were used for the inaccessible/unreachable areas. On this occasion an endoscope was not used, as there were no out of reach crevices and cavities that could not be inspected with a torch and binoculars.

- Barn Owls and Little Owls *Athene noctua* too, are commonly encountered in or near farm buildings. Being non-migratory species, they can be searched for at any time of year and if a bird is in residence the signs are usually obvious.

Indicators of owl occupation include pellets, droppings and feathers. As pellets can be aged relatively easily, the frequency and recentness of occupation can be determined. Barn Owl breeding is indicated by large, flattened piles of guano on top of a shelf, wall plate or internal fixture, and the accumulated droppings are often dotted with broken egg shells or food remains. If nesting, the female often sits tight on eggs or young birds and will defend the brood by attacking any would-be predator. Caution should therefore be exercised if checking the tops of high shelves or platforms.

Little Owls tend to nest in a cavity of some kind, usually high up.

Both Barn and Little Owls are also very vocal at night, and can be heard up to half a kilometre away.

Barn Owls are most active at dusk and dawn, but can be observed hunting in full daylight, especially during the winter. Little Owls are primarily diurnal predators.

Birds using buildings are easily disturbed, so care should be taken to minimise the length and impact of the visit.

The inspection findings are detailed in Section 3. 3. RESULTS

3.1 Location

Hope is a village and civil parish lying in the Hope Valley within the Derbshire Peak District. The site is located to the north of the village, just off Edale Road at Ordnance Survey Grid Reference SK 17152 83898 (Appendix 1).

3.2 Desk study

A desk study revealed a number of bat records within 2.0 km of the site; no records came from the land itself and the closest record came from within 200 metres south of the site.

The bat species present within the records included Common Pipistrelle.

This suggested that if any suitable features were present on/within the buildings, they could be utilised by roosting and/or hibernating bats within the area.

3.3 Site Description

The site comprised three small, single story, stone built outbuildings with a mixture of corrugated sheet roofing and pitched stone roofing (Figs. 1 and 2).

Figs. 1 & 2 Stone outbuildings

The buildings were set on a small yard, with areas of hard-standing and bare ground dominating the immediate habitat, whilst a series of fields extended in the wider landscape. The River Noe is located approximately 75 metres to the east of the side.

The layout of the site is shown in the aerial photograph in Appendix 2. 3.4 Building Survey

The daytime inspection was carried out on 15th June 2018, commencing at 12:30 pm. The weather conditions during the time of the survey were recorded and are presented in Table 1 below.

| Parameter | Value | |----------------------------|--------| | Temperature (ºC) | 15.0 | | Cloud cover (%) | 20 | | Precipitation | None | | Wind speed (Beaufort scale)| 0 |

Table 1 Weather conditions during the diurnal survey

Externally, the corrugated roofs were in good condition, whilst the stone tiled roof was loosely fitting (Figs. 3 and 4).

Figs. 3 & 4 Roofs

None of the gaps in the stoned tiled roof however were deep enough, or led to cavities suitable to provide cover from the elements, with windblown debris, moss and cobwebbing also present.

In some areas, there were gaps present in the eternal stonework of the buildings, but a close inspection revealed these were unsuitable, either being too open and shallow to cover roosting bats and/or clogged with cobwebbing (Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 – overleaf). In addition, potential access points into the buildings were noted in the form of a broken window and an open window hole (Figs. 9 and 10).

Internally, no roof voids were present in any of the buildings and all the roofs were found to be unlined, with exposed roof timbers/structures supporting corrugated sheets and stone tiles respectively (Figs. 10 and 11 - overleaf). Light penetration was observed through the loosely fitting and/or missing tiles, with no suitable gaps beneath the tiles present, whilst the corrugated roofs had skylight panels which illuminated the interiors (Fig. 12).

The roof timbers were cobwebbed, especially where the roof timbers joined the walls.

The inspection of the buildings (both interior and exterior) revealed no signs of recent or historical bat activity or occupation.

A such, the outbuildings were considered to have negligible suitability for roosting and/or hibernating bats as there was an absence of suitable roosting features. The crevices and cavities observed were cobwebbed internally or too shallow to provide cover and were evidently not used by bats. 4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Bats tend to be seasonal visitors to properties, and are not usually in occupation all year round. The females normally form maternity colonies during May or June and then leave for adjacent trees and/or woodland during July or August once the young bats are able to fly and become independent. Here they will spend the winter months in hibernation before returning to the house or barn the following spring.

Male bats generally live alone and have a number of favoured roosts. During the summer they visit each of these for a few days at a time, before moving to their chosen hibernation site in mid-late October.

Different species have different habits, but this seasonal movement is common to all.

Bats choose their roosts carefully. During the summer they look for sites which are warmed by the sun, and as a result are most often found on the south and western side of buildings.

Pipistrelles, our smallest and commonest bats, prefer to roost in very confined spaces around the outside of buildings, typical places being behind hanging tiles, weather boarding, soffit, barge and eave boarding, between roof felt and roof tiles or in cavity walls.

As such they can be difficult to find, so likelihood for roosting was also assessed.

At the outbuildings at Kilnhill Farm, this was considered to be negligible, as there was an absence of suitable roosting features. The crevices and cavities observed were cobwebbed internally or too shallow to provide cover and were evidently not used by bats.

Another bat frequently encountered in buildings is the Brown Long-eared. This is also a common species, but unlike pipistrelles, they prefer the dry, warm space of the loft or roof void, and can often be found hanging from roof timbers, especially rafters and the ridge board next to chimney breasts.

No signs of Brown Long-eared Bat activity or indeed any other bat species that regularly use buildings were found.

At the time of the survey the outbuildings were not identified as a bat roost or hibernation site, and as such no further surveys or mitigation with regard to bats are required.

It is recommended two external bat boxes (eg. Schwegler 2F) are incorporated into or hung onto the converted buildings to provide biodiversity enhancement/bat roosting opportunities. Schwegler woodcrete boxes have the highest rates of occupation of all box types. The 75% wood sawdust, concrete and clay mixture allows natural respiration, stable temperature, and durability. They are extremely long lasting and rot- and predator-proof, and will hang from a tree branch near the trunk, or can be fixed to a wall.

The 2F is the most popular general purpose box, particularly attractive to the smaller British bats. It has a simple design with a narrow entrance slit on the front.

The boxes should be at least 3.0 m above ground level and clear of any overhanging branches or wires. They should face anywhere from SE to SW to provide differing aspects to suit different weather conditions.

-

During the building inspection, no old or active bird nests were found 5. REFERENCES

Bat Conservation Trust, 2016. Bat Surveys – Good Practice Guidelines. 3rd edition. Bat Conservation Trust, London.

English Nature, 2004. Bat mitigation guidelines. English Nature, Peterborough.

English Nature (2002). Barn Owls on Site – A Guide For Developers and Planners. English Nature, Peterborough.

Mitchell-Jones A. J. & McLeish, 2004. Bat Workers’ Manual. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.

Peterson Elektronik AB, 2003. BatSound. Real-time spectrogram sound analysis software (version 3.3). Peterson Elektronik AB, Uppsala, Sweden.

Russ, J., 1999. The Bats of Britain and Ireland. Echolocation Calls, Sound Analysis and Species Identification. Alana Ecology Ltd., UK.

Stebbings R.E., 1986. Which bat is it? The Mammal Society and The Vincent Wildlife Trust, London.

The Vincent Wildlife Trust, 2003. The Bats of Britain and Ireland. The Vincent Wildlife Trust, Ledbury.

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Location plan

Appendix 2: Site layout Appendix 1: Location plan

Kilnhill Farm, Hope Appendix 2: Site layout

Outbuildings at Kilnhill Farm, Hope

Stone outbuildings Outbuildings at Kilnhill Farm, Hope Derbyshire – Bat Survey Report

To: Whitfield Architects

Report Number: 1806/07-MLE-01

Version: 01

Date: 19th June 2018